Managing Use of Location-Identification Services

1. A computer-implemented method for identifying a location of a mobile computing device, the method comprising: determining, by a processor and based on wireless signals received from one or more beacons, a first location estimate of a mobile computing device and an accuracy of the first location estimate; determining a time period based on the accuracy of the first location estimate, wherein the time period is a long time period if the accuracy of the first location estimate is below a threshold accuracy value, the time period is a short time period if the accuracy of the first location estimate is above the threshold accuracy value; determining one or more subsequent location estimates of the mobile computing device and respective accuracies during the time period; and determining a preferred location estimate from the first location estimate and the one or more subsequent location estimates.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more beacons includes one or more satellites of a space-based location identification system.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising presenting for display on the mobile computing device an indication of the first location estimate if the determined time period is the short time period, the indication of the first location estimate presented for display prior to the determination of a subsequent location estimate.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising not presenting for display on the mobile computing device, if the determined time period is the long time period, the indication of the first location estimate prior to the stopping to determine subsequent location estimates.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising presenting the preferred location estimate for display on the mobile computing device after the stopping the determination of the subsequent location estimates.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising presenting the preferred location estimate for display on the mobile computing device after the stopping and not prior to the stopping.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining a time period includes determining a number of times to determine subsequent location estimates.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined preferred location estimate is the same as the first location estimate.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing each location estimate and corresponding accuracy to an application program executing on the mobile computing device in a stream of individual location estimates and corresponding accuracies.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the application program requests each determination of location estimate and corresponding accuracy, and the stopping is in response to the application program either (i) ceasing to request an additional location estimate and corresponding accuracy or (ii) transmitting a request that the mobile computing device cease to continue to determine location estimates and accuracies.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preferred location estimate is a most accurate of the initial and subsequent location estimates.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising stopping the determination of the subsequent location estimates before the end of the time period if an accuracy of a subsequently determined location estimate is greater than an early termination threshold accuracy value.

13. A computer program product, stored on a non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium, for identifying a location of a mobile computing device, the product comprising computer program instructions operable to cause a processor to perform operations comprising: determining, by a processor, based on wireless signals received from one or more beacons, a first location estimate of the mobile computing device and an accuracy of the first location estimate; selecting a time period based on the accuracy of the first location estimate, wherein a long time period is selected if the accuracy is below a threshold accuracy value, and a short time period is selected if the accuracy is above the threshold accuracy value; presenting, if the short time period is selected but not if the long time period is selected, the first location estimate for display on the mobile computing device; determining subsequent location estimates of the mobile computing device and respective accuracies of the subsequent location estimates during the time period; determining a preferred location estimate from the first location estimate and the subsequent location estimates; and presenting for display on the mobile computing device the preferred location.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the one or more beacons include base station transmitting antennas.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein determining the first location estimate of the mobile computing device includes: (i) receiving from a base station transmitting antenna a portion of information that identifies the base station transmitting antenna, and (ii) determining a location estimate that is associated with the transmitting antenna.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein, if the short time period is selected, the first location estimate is presented for display on the mobile computing device prior to the continuing to determine subsequent location estimates of the mobile computing device.

17. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein, if the long time period is selected, the first location estimate is not presented for display on the mobile computing device prior to ceasing to determine subsequent location estimates.

18. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the presented first location estimate and the presented most accurate location estimate are the same.

19. A mobile computing device comprising: a display device; a location-identifying unit to (i) determine an initial location estimate of the mobile computing device and a respective accuracy of the initially determined location estimate, and (ii) repeatedly determine, during a determined time period, one or more subsequent location estimates of the mobile computing device and respective accuracies of the subsequent location estimates, the time period determined based on the accuracy of the initial determined location estimate; a timer to maintain the location-identifying unit in a mode of repeatedly determining subsequent location estimates until the determined time period expires; a preferred location estimate determination unit to determine a preferred location estimate from the initial location estimate and the one or more subsequent location estimates that are determined during the time period; and a means for presenting, with the display device, the initial location estimate during the determination of subsequent location estimates if the initial location estimate has a high accuracy, and for presenting the preferred location estimate after the time period expires.

20. The mobile computing device of claim 19 , wherein the timer selects either a short time period or a long time period based on the accuracy of the initial location estimate, wherein the long time is selected if the accuracy of the initial determined location corresponds to an accuracy that is below a threshold accuracy value and the short time period is selected if the accuracy of the initial determined location corresponds to an accuracy that is above the threshold accuracy value.